Bethlehem’s three-peat

Congrats to the Bethlehem Eagles and Tom Rogan on their three-peat, it has been quite a run for the orange and black. A wise Alleycat coach once said to me at sectionals, as we watched a game from the fence, “a senior always steps up in the sectional finals to win it.” Kristina Maksuti did just that. She should no doubt be player of the year once again and an All-American. I’ve watched her play since she was 12 or 13 and it was especially entertaining to watch Shen’s petite midfielders double teaming her year after year. I have some pretty funny photographs to prove it. Here are a few of my favorite highlights (I hope my memory serves me correct in all these) :

Her penalty kick as an 8th grader in the Class AA finals. She nailed it. (Has she ever missed one in sectionals?) In that game, Bethlehem lost to Nisky in PKs, shared the Class AA title. See Brooke Knowlton’s favorite moment from that post-season in her blog below!

Her near-bicycle kick in the finals against Shen in 2008

Her header goal against Saratoga Springs in the semi-finals in 2009. In that game, Saratoga had the lead and command of the game. They made the mistake of committing a foul near midfield, giving Bethlehem a chance. She was triple-teamed but Anna Gray put it right in the middle of the pack and she connected.

Her goals in the finals in 2009 and 2010.

As far as Bethlehem’s success goes, here is one point I would like to raise. The south division is weaker than the north division. If Bethlehem went into sectionals with a couple more losses, would the girls still have the swagger they show in the post-season? With all four teams in the semi-finals — Nisky, Bethlehem, Shen and Saratoga Springs — capable of beating one another, is it an advantage to be in a weaker division in the regular season? I, for one, thought a weaker schedule in the second half would hurt Bethlehem this year. They proved me wrong with 13 straight wins.

To another soccer fan, please stop with whining that the refs are bias and only Bethlehem gets calls. The reality is that there is very little that separates the top teams in the Suburban Council. Any four of the semi-finalists could have won the championship with a break here or there. It ended up being Bethlehem again this year, which is certainly frustrating to other teams and their supporters. I was at the championship on Wednesday night and it was an excellent game by both teams. Shen came within inches of trying it up in the second half, but they did not get any breaks with a goal-line clearance and then hitting the post on a late corner kick. All these teams have excellent players who are very skilled and play great soccer, so lets not denigrate their efforts by making these hometown claims of referee bais and dirty play. —Comment by John Brown

I was at both games as well. I thought the refereeing at the Nisky game was excellent (my only quibble, like I mentioned earlier, is that I thought a there were occasions where cards should have been shown because it looked as if the game could have gotten too rough (my opion only; others can disagree if they want and, since the game never did get too rough, they would have a valid point)). I thought that the refereeing on Wednesday’s game was exceptional. It would be a stretch for anyone to cry favoritism for either game, IMO. Both games were very well-played and both showcased the best attributes of all the players. Shen’s last corner-kick was heart-stopping and, indeed there was much luck in them not tying it up. Comment by BL.

I went to the Shen-Bethlehem Sectional Final and thought that it was truly another one of the classics played under wind conditions that affected both teams throughout. The press box was full. Photographers & TV cameras were on the sidelines. Section 2 Officials in attendance. Saw players/coaches there from many of the other Suburban Council teams, as well as, club coaches and college coaches. EYEBALLS WERE EVERYWHERE! Great game, in doubt literally down to the final second, everyone was exhausted just from the sheer tension & suspense. This was great soccer played by 2 arch rivals with traditions of winning. For anyone to suggest that it was anything else is truly sad – perhaps symptomatic. Comment by Soccerfan9

it was actually refreshing to see officials work the game and “let the girls play” by not calling all the nickel/dime things that we see on a regular basis from the many officials who are unable or chose not to get over mid field. Neither team was placed at an unfair advantage and the calls were consistent. Two very good teams but someone ha d to lose.. If they played each other 10 times under the same conditions each would probable win five.